Day 04 - Galilee: Mount Arbel, Magdala, Mount of Beatitudes, Tabgha, Shabbat Dinner

Shabbat shalom!

Today we entered the region of Galilee, beginning our morning standing at the Sea of Galilee. The region of Jesus’ earthly ministry. This is where Jesus walked, talked, taught, and performed miracles. This is where the Word was flesh and dwelt among us.

This morning, we sat on top of a hill, a mountain thought to be near where the sermon took place and read the very words of God. Surrounded by flowers and birds singing, we read, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This begins the message that Jesus came to proclaim to the world: The kingdom of God is at hand and it is accessible to all. Jesus is inviting us in to experience the good life. Life experienced only through Him.

Next, we went to Tabgha and talked about how many of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen; fishing is what they did before they knew Jesus. In Matthew 4, we read that Jesus approaches Andrew and his brother, Simon and tells them to come follow him. He tells them to leave their nets and old ways behind and he will make them fishers of men. He is drawing them into the good life. We were then prompted with a question: do you remember when Jesus called you? When did Jesus draw you near and invite you to come experience the good life? Why do we so often return back to old ways and go back fishing when he has called us into something better?

We then made our way to Capernaum and talked about how our faith is affected by its object. Capernaum was one of the places Jesus went about teaching, proclaiming the good news, that the kingdom of God was at hand!  In John 6, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst”. Jesus is the bread of life, the only thing we can be fully satisfied by. He offers us the true good life and has come to make it accessible to all, including the unclean which is you and me.

We concluded our day with the stop at Bethsaida, or at least where some once thought Bethsaida was located. We talked about Jesus healing a blind man in Mark 8. Prior to this, Jesus has healed a leper, a demon possessed man, and fed the 5,000. He has shown over and over to these cities around him that he is Messiah. In Isaiah 35:4, we are told that the mark of the true Messiah is healing of the blind. This was Jesus’ statements to his disciples; He is the Messiah and he is here to make the kingdom of God accessible. He has introduced us to the good life.